LIAM DURKIN
NETBALL
GIPPSLAND LEAGUE
By LIAM DURKIN
HENS love roosters, geese love ganders, everybody loves Flanders… sort of.
Everybody at Leongatha Football-Netball Club at least loved Hannah Flanders after Saturday.
With a place in the Gippsland League Grand Final at stake, the Parrots goaler shot a clutch rebound to send her team to the decider.
Leongatha defeated Moe by the barest of margins, getting up 46 to 45.
The Parrots and Lions played out an epic at Morwell Recreation Reserve, in a match that, unfortunately, had to have a loser.
Moe, with key player Ramayer Gourley back in the side, came oh so close to reversing a near 30-goal demolition handed to them in the Qualifying Final.
As precious seconds ticked down, the match looked set to be going into overtime, before Flanders’ heroics.
Leongatha now takes on Morwell for the title of league premier.
The Tigers have been by far the best team this season, and will be almost unbackable favourties to win the flag.
Morwell has not lost a game this season, and defeated Leongatha by 14 goals a fortnight ago.
The Parrots will have a busy day, with two football and three netball teams in the big dance.
Tiger ace Shannon Freeman took out the league best and fairest earlier in the week, and will be a player Leongatha will need to nullify.
The defender could just about open a museum with the amount of netball awards she has won.
Joining Freeman in defence will be fellow league best and fairest winner Courtney Garth and Tanya Budge.
Morwell boast a formidable line-up, and away from defence, goalers Daisy Hill and Claire Allison have been prolific.
Like her players, coach Rachel Patterson has been to a number of Grand Finals before, and the Tigers experience should mean they know how to handle the big stage.
Morwell will be vying for technically back-to-back flags, having won in 2019.
The A Grade final gets underway this Saturday from 3pm at Ted Summerton Reserve, Moe.
